Combination for locks with movable toggle holder and safety dome



0. O. COSIO Aug. 3, 1965 COMBINATION FOR LOCKS WITH MOVABLE TOGGLE HOLDER AND SAFETY DOME 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1962 \NVENTOR OTHON OROZCO COSIO Aug. 3, 1965 o. o. COSIO 3,197,985

COMBINATION FOR LOCKS WITH MOVABLE TOGGLE HOLDER AND SAFETY DOME Filed May 4, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IIIIIIII/IIIIIII/l m 11111111111111 EYIIIIIIIIIIIIIAUIII INVENTOR OTHON OROZCO ()OSIO BY QM; .r A2

ATTORNEYS 0. O. COSIO.

Aug. 3, 1965 COMBINATION FOR LOCKS WITH MOVABLE TOGGLE HOLDER AND SAFETY DOME 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 4, 1962 4 0! trill-71,5

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ATTO R N EYS United States Patent 3,197,985 COMBINATION FOR LOCKS WITH MOVABLE TOGGLE HOLDER AND SAFETY DOME Othn Orozco Cosio, 604 Calzada de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Mexico Filed May 4, 1962, Ser. No. 193,076 Claims. (Cl. 70-419) The present invention relates to locks and more particularly to a cylinder lock having a movable or tiltable driver support and a safety restricting dome co-operative therewith to preclude picking the lock.

In previously known types of cylinder locks, it is possible to pick open said locks by means of a wire or picking tool because the tumbler drivers are housed within the body of the lock. By slightly turning the cylinder, one could sense a position where the drivers are accommodated in a predetermined point in line with the periphery of the cylinder, whereby the same can be readily rotated without the use of a key. Therefore, such locks are unsafe because in expert hands a picking tool can be as effective as the proper key to open the lock.

Therefore, it is the primary object of the present in vention to provide a cylinder lock that does not have a sensing position so that it is incapable of being picked.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder lock of the above mentioned character which will be quite safe and which will be opened only by the use of a key for the particular combination involved.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder lock of the above mentioned character which will serve to actuate padlocks, latches, electrical switches, lock bolts and any other similar devices which may require safety against unauthorized actuation.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder lock of the foregoing character having simplicity of design, economy of construction and efiiciency in operation.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cylinder lock in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled cylinder lock shown in FIG. 1 and taken on a vertical plane axially of the lock and with the parts in locked position;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but showing a key partially inserted into the keyhole therefor;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the key fully inserted and the tumblers and drivers in a position such that the cylinder can be freely rotated to actuate the lock;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 3 with the cylinder and driver support partially rotated;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2 with the cylinder .and driver support rotated to the maximum permitted by the driver support;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIGS. 6 and 7 wherein the cylinder and driver support are partially rotated;

FIGS. 9, and 11 are cross-sectional views taken on ice lines 9-9, 10-10 and 11'11, respectively, of FIG. 2; FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 are cross-sectionalviews taken on lines 1212, 1313 and 14-14, respectively, of

FIG. 4, and showing the unlocked condition of the tumblers; FIGS. 15, 16 and 17 are cross sectional views illustrating the condition shown in FIGS. 12-14, respectively, but with the cylinder and driver support partially rotated, and FIGS. 18, 19 and 20 are cross-sectional views illustrating the condition shown in FIGS. 15-17, respectively, but with the cylinder further rotated in the unlocking operation. I

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, a cyl-inder lock in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing 30 closed at one end by an end cover 17 and enclosing the usual tumbler cylinder 45, in combination with a novel movable driver support 20 mounted on the cylinder 45 and partially rotatable therewith. The end cover 17 is integrally formed with a fixed driver support 10 comprising a cylindrical portion having a central boreto receive one end of the cylinder 45, and an upstanding block portion 11 having a vertical bore 12 for receiving a driver 14. This subassembly constitutes a fixed portion of the whole driver support and fixes the position of the cylinder when the lock is locked.

Next to this cover 17 and its fixed driver support 10, which hereinafter will be referred to as the positioning driver support, aligned with member 10 and of a form similar thereto, is positioned a movable driver support member 20 including a cylindrical section and a vertical rectangular driver housing section 21. This member 20 is supported only bythe introduction of the cylinder 45 within the central bore of the cylindrical section 120. The drive-r housing section 21 has a plurality of vertical bores 22 to receive drivers 24 and a central bore 27 to receive a ball 23.

These two driver support members 10 and 20, which constitute the complete driver support of the lock of the present invention, are introduced within the cage or hous ing 30 which has a special form including a lower cylindrical portion 32 to receive the corresponding cylindrical portions 110 and 120 of members 10 and 20, and also including outwardly inclined side walls 31, top wall portions 134 extending inwardly substantially perpendicularly of said side walls, and a dome 34 between said top portions 134. The inclined side walls 31 correspond in height with the driver housing 21 and the dome 34 has a radius less than the arcuate path of the housing 21 and is eccentric thereto. The housing 30 is open at one end to receive the cover 17 and driver supports, and has at its other end an integrally formed cover 37 provided with an opening 36 axially of the cylindrical portion 32 and enclosing the tiltable driver support 20 and the fixed driver support 10 of the present invention. The housing is re tained in a door or the like by a pair of internally threaded ears 39 on opposite sides thereof and co-operative with a pair of screws 38.

The cylinder 45 is mounted within the opening 36 and the cylindrical portions 110 and 120, said cylinder being journaled within the opening 36 and portion 110 and supporting the portion 120. The cylinder 45 has conventional vertical bores 42 to receive tumblers 44, and the usual longitudinally extending keyslot 40. The cylinder, according to the invention, is provided with a circumferential groove 41 and a semispherical cavity 43 in axially aligned relationship with the bores 42 and interrupting the groove 41, to receive the ball 23. The cylinder is also provided at the end opposite to that through which the key 50 is inserted with a transverse bore 48 for re ceiving a pin 47 to hold a spline 49 for connection with a lock bolt mechanism. In assembly, the pin 47 lies flush with the corresponding sizes of the tumblers to conventionally align the upper ends 7 of said tumblers 44 with the periphery 8 of cylinder 45 for free rotation thereof. Also, the key St) is provided with an indentation 411' which, when the key is fully inserted into the cylinder, will match with the circumferential groove 41 thereof and will clear the ball 23 when rotating to open or close the lock.

The drivers 24 disposed in the bores 22 of the tiltable driver support are each provided with an axially extending stem 124. The stems 124 function as a support for a coiled spring 25 which is retained in the bores 22 by washers 26 pressure-fitted flush with the upper surface of the portion 21 of the tiltable driver support 20. The lower end of said drivers 24 will bear on the upper surface 7'of the tumblers 44 introduced into the bores 42 of the cylinder for forming the combination to be actuated by the guards 54 of key when the latter is conventionally used to open or close the lock.

Another driver 14, which need not be provided with a stem, is located within the bore :12 of the positioning or fixed driver support 10, said driver being also downwardly biased by means of a coiled spring 15 whose upper end is held by a washer 16 similar to washers 26, as above described. The lower end of driver 14 bears against the end tumbler 44 which will be engaged by the first guard of key 50. V

The central bore 27 of the tiltable driver support 24 accommodates the sliding ball driver 23 which will seat, biased by a spring 25, in the semispherical cavity or indentation 43 or the groove 41 in cylinder 45. When the ball 23 is seated in the cavity 43, it inhibits relative rota tive motion between the cylinder and the driver support within the limited rotation afforded by the sidewalls 31. The circumferential groove 41 registers with the center of this indentation 43 and serves to guide the ball driver 23 therealong to avoid relative longitudinal movement between the tiltable driver support and the cylinder, so as to maintain all the cavities 22 of the driver support in the same transverse planes as the corresponding cavities 42 of the cylinder when the latter is rotated relative to the support 20.

It will be clearly apparent that when all the above described members are assembled as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, they will form a rigid assembly in which cylinder 45 will be fixed in a predetermined position by means of the driver 14 due to the fixed driver support 10, as shown in FIG, 9. Moreover, the movable driver support 20 cannot be rotated because it will be locked with the cylinder. by the drivers 24 as shown in FIG. 10, and, of course, the ball 23 will remain in the cavity 43 as shown in FIG. 11. Therefore, this lock will not be free to be rotated until the driver 14 and corresponding tumbler 44 are positioned with the upper tumbler end 7 coinciding with the periphery 8 of cylinder 45, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 12. I

The operation of the look, when the proper key 56) is fully introduced into the keyslot 40, as shown in FIG. 4,

will free the cylinder 45 and driver support .20 for, rotation relative to the fixed support 14) and also relative to each other. The key guards 54 will raise the tumblers 44 and thelatter will in turn raise all the drivers 14 and 24 until all the upper ends 7 of all the tumblers are flush with the surface 8 of the cylinder. The driver 14 will be lifted, as shown in FIG. 12, sov that the cylinder 45 is free to rotate, because the positioning driver support 19 will no longer prevent such rotation. Similarly, the

drivers 24 will all be lifted, as shown in FIG. 13, so that the cyinder 45 can rotate relative to the support 20. However, and this is an important feature of the invention, the ball driver 23 will remain seated within cavity 43 by the biasing effect of its spring 25, so as to maintain the relative positions of the cylinder and the tiltable driver supnnrt 20, as shown in FIG. 14.

When the key is turned, both cylinder 45 and support 29 will jointly rotate, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, shifting the tumbler 44 out of alignment with the driver bore 312. Rotation is effected until one of the stems 124 of a driver 24 strikes against the dome 34, FIGS. 15, 16 and 17, thereby preventing further rotation of the movable driver support 2%. At this point, the ball driver 23 will snap out of cavity 43 by the rotating force exerted through the key 5%, so that the cylinder 45 will continue to rotate, as shown in FIGS. 18, 19 and 20, While the movable driver support is held against rotation. From the cavity 43, the ball 23 moves into the groove 41 which will keep both the cylinder and the tiltable driver support in longitudinal relative positions while the cylinder rotates, and maintain the bores 22 of the driver support 20 on the same transverse planes as the bores 42 of the cylinder 45 to avoid misalignment therebetween when the lock is operated.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 16, when the key 50 is introduced into the keyhole 4%), the corresponding guards 54 will raise the tumbler-s 44 and the drivers 24 .and the stems 124 of said drivers will be projected beyond the washers 26 and closer to the dome 34 of the cage of the lock. Therefore, as at this point both the cylinder and the tiltable driver support are held fixed one to the other by the ball driver 23, these two members will rotate together, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, until the end of the stem 124 that is projected the furthest abuts and is stopped by the inner surface of the dome 34. At this point the tiltable driver support is prevented from further rotation, as shown in FiG. 19, while the cylinder can be rotated further to open or close the lock bolt associated with the lock of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 20.

From the above, it can be clearly seen that when the operation of the lock of the present invention. is performed by means of the properly designed key having guards 54 of a proper size to raise the tumblers such that the 'oints between tumblers and drivers register with the cylinder surface 8, it will work in the manner of a conventional lock with the only difference that, for the first part of the rotation, the tiltable driver support 20 will rotate through a predetermined angle until one or more stems 124 are stopped by the dome 34 but the cylinder can be rotated in the same manner as in a conventional cylinder type lock.

It is very well-known that when a burglar attempts to pick a cylinder type lock, he will first raise, by means of a picking tool, all the tumblers and drivers, then he will forcefully push the cylinder aside in the sense of its rotation to slightly disalign the bores 22 of the driver support. By skillfully releasing the tumblers, these willfall into their bore-s 42 while the drivers will be stopped by the shoulder formed by the disalignment of the members, so that the cylinder will be rendered free to rotate. This sensing position where the bores are slightly misaligned, when considering the lock of the present invention, can be obtained only in respect to the positioning driver 14 which is incorporated in the fixed or positioning driver support 19.

Thus, when violation of the lock of the present inven tion is attempted, the only driver which will be stopped in the sensing position will be the positioning driver 14, while the cylinder and the tiltable. driver support containing the remaining drivers will rotate together because they are held by both the tumblers and drivers and also by the ball driver 23. If an attempt is made to obtain a sensing position, then it will be necessary to rotate the tiltable driver support until it stops'at one of the side walls 31 of the cage, but in view of the specific form of the dome 34 in this sensing position, it is impossible to raise the drivers because the stems 124 will be stopped by the dome 34 as clearly shown in the different positions illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 8 of the drawings.

Thus, if one of the driver stems 124 is lifted to the top of the dome 34, FIG. 5, rotation of the cylinder 45 and support is prevented even if the positioning driver 14 is also lifted. On the other hand, assuming, for example, that the positioning driver 14 is successfully lifted to the position shown in FIG. 12, but the other drivers are not lifted, then the cylinder 45 and support 20 can jointly be rotated in either direction until the driver housing 21 abuts the respective housing side Wall 31, as shown in FIG. 7. In this position, however, the drivers 24 cannot be sensed because lifting of the stems 124 is prevented by the respective top wall portion 134. In the event that some of the other drivers are lifted to an intermediate position, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, when an attempt is made to reach the sensing position, the stems 124 will be blocked and pushed downwardly by the dome 34.

in view of the above, it will be clearly seen that the present lock is really a safety lock inasmuch as it is impossible to obtain a sensing position to locate the joint between tumblers and drivers because when the drivers can be raised, both the cylinder and the tiltable driver support are held together and no sensing position can be obtained whatsoever, while in the true Sensing? position of the present lock, the drivers are blocked by the top wall portions so that raising thereof is rendered impossible. In other words, the sensing position of the pres ent lock is located in the safety position so that no attempt can be successfully performed to violate the lock by means of a picking tool or any other instrument of this type; but can only be opened by means of the key properly designed for the movable combination.

Due to the extraordinarily high number of combinations that can be effected with the different sizes available for each of the movable drivers and tumblers, it is practically impossible to place the drivers and tumblers into an opening position by mere approximate calculation. Also, this very high number of possible combinations, provides the lock of the present invention with a completely safe characteristic and the combination of the ball driver and tiltable driver support renders it quite inviolable whereby the present invention has provided for the first time a completely fool proof and burglary discouraging type of cylinder lock combination.

Although a certain specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except isofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

1. A safety mechanism for a cylinder lock which comprises, in combination, a housing, a cylinder having a plurality of bores, a corresponding plurality of tumblers movably housed in said bores, a movable driver support surrounding "said cylinder and provided also with a corresponding plurality of bores similarly positioned as said bores in the cylinder, a plurality of drivers movably housed in the bores of said support, both said cylinder and driver support being housed within said housing, the

bores of said driver support being open at the top for allowing projection of said drivers by movement of said tumblers into the bores of the driver support, said housing being formed with a pair of stops to permit limited rotation of said driver support and including a central dome portion permitting the drivers to be lifted when the driver support and said cylinder are in a locked position, and a pair of portions connecting said dome with said stops and which prevent said drivers from being lifted when the driver support is turned to bear against one of said stops, and releasable locking means other than said drivers and tumblers for maintaining the bores of the cylinder in register with the bores of the driver support.

2. A safety mechanism for a cylinder lock according to claim 1 wherein the sum of the length of each tumbler and associated driver is equal to the distance between the bottoms of the cylinder bores and the outer surface of the driver support, said drivers, when being in projected condition and rotating together with the movable driver support, striking against a portion of said dome which limits their projecting movement and prevents rotation of the driver support and also rotation of the cylinder except when the lower ends of the drivers are flush with the cylinder surface and in a lock opening position, and said drivers when in said lock opening position stop the driver support from rotation and allow the cylinder to continue to rotate.

3. A safety mechanism for a cylinder lock according to claim 2 wherein said releasable locking means includes a ball driver in a bore in the movable driver support and engageable in a cavity in the cylinder to lock them together and maintain coincidence of all said cavities, said sliding ball releasing the cylinder with respect to the movable driver support when the latter is rotated and the drivers are in said flush lock opening position, and said sliding ball forcing all of said bores of the movable driver support to coincide with the respective bores of the cylinder, when the cylinder has been given a complete turn with respect to the movable driver support.

4. A safety mechanism for a cylinder lock, according to claim 3, wherein said housing dome has a curvature which forces said drivers to gradually lower in their driver support bores when the movable driver support is rotated and the drivers are projected therefrom.

5. A safety mechanism for a cylinder lock according to claim 3, wherein said cylinder cavity comprises a semispherical seat for nesting said ball driver to prevent relative rotational movement between said driver support and said cylinder within the limits of said stops, said cylinder having a circumferential groove intersected by said cavity and forming a channel for passage of said ball driver when the cylinder is rotated relative to said driver support to prevent relative longitudinal movement between said cylinder and said movable driver support.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,145,085 1/39 Heyer -421 2,246,112 6/41 Speer 70-419 2,283,489 5/42 Crousore 70-419 ALBERT H. KAMPE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SAFETY MECHANISM FOR A CYLINDER LOCK WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING, A CYLINDER HAVING A PLURALITY OF BORES, A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF TUMBLERS MOVABLY HOUSED IN SAID BORES, A MOVABLE DRIVER SUPPORT SURROUNDING SAID CYLINDER AND PROVIDED ALSO WITH A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF BORES SIMILARLY POSITIONED AS SAID BORES IN THE CYLINDER, A PLURALITY OF DRIVERS MOVABLY HOUSED IN THE BORES OF SAID SUPPORT, BOTH SAID CYLINDER AND DRIVER SUPPORT BEING HOUSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, THE BORES OF SAID DRIVER SUPPORT BEING OPEN AT THE TOP FOR ALLOWING PROJECTION OF SAID DRIVERS BY MOVEMENT OF SAID TUMBLERS INTO THE BORES OF THE DRIVER SUPPORT, SAID HOUSING BEING FORMED WITH A PAIR OF STOP TO PERMIT LIMITED ROTATION OF SAID DRIVER SUPPORT AND INCLUDING A CENTRAL DOME PORTION PERMITTING THE DRIVERS TO BE LIFTED WHEN THE DRIVER SUPPORT AND SAID CYLINDER ARE IN A LOCKED POSITION, AND A PAIR OF PORTIONS CONNECTING SAID DOME WITH SAID STOPS AND WHICH PREVENT SAID DRIVERS FROM BEING LIFTED WHEN THE DRIVER SUPPORT IS TURNED TO BEAR AGAINST ONE OF SAID STOPS, AND RELEASABLE LOCKING MEANS OTHER THAN SAID DRIVER AND TUMBLERS FOR MAINTAINING THE BORES OF THE CYLINDER REGISTER WITH THE BORES OF THE DRIVER SUPPORT. 